USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Saugus > Town annual report of the officers and committees of the town of Scituate 1906-1909 > Part 26
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excellent and indispensable in their way, but also instruction relative to the farm, the trades and the home. Our immediate purpose is to take the first step in providing for the ninety-five per cent who are not now trained for a vocation, advantages. corresponding to those enjoyed by the relatively few who are trained in the professional and technical schools. Industrial training, training which will fit a girl to do work in the home, which will fit a boy to work in the shop if in a city, to work on a farm if in the country, is the most important of all training, aside from that which develops character; and it is a grave reproach to us as a nation that we have permitted our training to lead the children away from the farm and shop, instead of toward them." In other words, "the school system should be aimed primarily to fit the scholar for actual life, rather than for a university."
It is undoubtedly true that the scholar of today is not. competent or able to earn his living when he graduates from the High School. The training he has received has been purely an academic one, consequently all he can do is to become an errand boy or clerk, unless he be one of the few favored ones whose parents can send him to college, or he has the moral stamina and physical backbone to make his own way. As the result of the present awakening, and the tremendous interest that is being shown by the American people in regard to the question of education, important changes are sure to be made in public school courses in the near future. It may not be this year or even next, but sooner or later they are bound to come.
Meanwhile we would say to our fellow citizens that because of these sentiments they should not imagine the Scituate schools have been tried and found wanting, for it is not so. They do not differ in kind from schools elsewhere.
"It is always true, that new times demand new measures and new men.
"The world advances, and in time outgrows the thoughts that in our fathers' day were best."
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We think that when comparison is made forty years hence, it will be found that the children of our day were in reality better educated than those of forty years ago.
Before concluding we would call your attention to Superin- tendent DeMeyer's report, which we consider exceptionally good. We would ask that you give those parts relative to statistics, and the problem of transportation, your thoughtful consideration, as they undoubtedly will have great weight in deciding our policy for the ensuing year, and possibly years to come.
In closing we wish to thank the citizens for the continuation of the interest they have manifested for so many years, and to express the hope that this new year will be one of marked improvement, a red-letter year in the annals of education in Scituate. If the past has not fully met your expectations, we would quote to you these words of Clough :
"Go with the Sun and the Stars, And yet evermore in thy spirit Say to thyself, It is good. Yet there is better than it, This I see is not all, and this that I do is but little,
Nevertheless it is good, though there be better than it." .
Respectfully submitted,
PETER W. SHARP. JULIA E. WEBB. CLARA M. SKEELE.
Estimated appropriation for support of schools for 1909, $13,500.
This does not include transportation.
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CORPS OF TEACHERS
NAME, SCHOOL, ADDRESS
Mr. Frank A. Scott, A.B., principal High School, Egypt.
Louise Adams, A.B., assistant, High School, North Scituate. Florence Andrews, A.B., Commercial Department, High School, Scituate Centre.
Grace B. Simmons, A.B., principal Hatherly School, North Scituate.
Ella S. Knight, grades sixth and seventh, Hatherly School, North Scituate.
Lilliete C. Jenkins, grades fourth and fifth, Hatherly School, Scituate.
Sarah M. Kane, grades 2d and 3d, Hatherly School, Green- bush.
Eleanor E. Curtis, grade one, Hatherly School, Scituate.
Lois Thompson, principal Jenkins School, Egypt.
Nellie E. Adams, grades sixth and seventh, Jenkins School, Scituate.
Josephine J. Barry, grades fourth and fifth, Jenkins School, Scituate.
E. Gertrude Gardner, grades 2d and 3d, Jenkins School, Scituate.
Mary E. Gillis, grade one, Jenkins School, Scituate.
Josephine G. Ward, High Street School, Scituate.
Lillie C. Stoddard, music, North Scituate.
Harriet J. Ford, drawing, Millbrook.
SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT
To the School Committee:
I hereby submit for your consideration my third annual report.
The year has been one of very material progress along many lines and has opened up new problems which I shall discuss in this report, together with such suggestions as seem to me to be advisable.
TEACHERS
We have been very fortunate in retaining our grade teach- ers. The only change in the grades during the past year was caused by the resignation of Miss Nellie Adams, grades six and seven, at the Jenkins School. Miss Lena Sewall finished the year, and in September we were fortunate enough to secure Miss Adams again. In the High School conditions have been different. Miss Marion White, of the Commercial Department, resigned in June, and she was succeeded by Miss Lillian Wilkins, Vassar College. During the summer vacation Mr. Edward R. Clarke resigned as principal to ac- cept the principalship of the Milford High School. Mr. Clarke had served efficiently for a number of years, and under his leadership the school made very material progress, not only in number of pupils, but in the efficiency of the work done. Mr. Clarke deserves the commendation and appreciation of his townspeople.
Mr. Frank Arthur Scott, Harvard, 1903, was elected to succeed Mr. Clarke. At the close of the fall term Miss Wilkins resigned, and Miss Florence Andrews, Mt. Holyoke, 1899, was elected to succeed her as commercial instructor.
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GENERAL CONDITIONS
There is nothing new to report concerning the usual routine work of the schools. The work in general is and always will be much the same year after year. The problem that always confronts us is how to obtain more satisfactory results in the various departments. We have not arrived at that degree of perfection which will allow us to cease, even for a moment, in our efforts to improve our system of edu- cation.
There are so many conditions that affect the general work of the grades that it is necessary to be always on the alert, and even with constant vigilance it is sometimes impossible to avoid conditions which prove detrimental to the schools, such as changes of teachers, sickness, etc. During the past year we have been fortunate in having no serious drawbacks. The work has moved steadily forward under the direction of the same competent teachers; and while I do not feel that the work has reached the standard of excellence we are striving for, yet I do feel that we have made decided progress in that direction. While conditions have, in the main, been favorable, there are circumstances that prove a handicap to our work. Certain rooms are overcrowded, so much so as to seriously impair the standard of work done.
The fourth and fifth grade room in the Hatherly School has had as many as fifty-seven pupils at one time during the past year. There are now fifty-two pupils in that room. It is possible for a good teacher to handle that number, but she can hardly be expected to do excellent work with so many. This overcrowded condition does not confine itself to the same room year after year, but occurs in various rooms.
A fair standard of work is not satisfactory, and when a child is obliged to spend two years in an overcrowded room, as our pupils are, owing to the fact that we have two grades in each room, it proves a serious drawback to him, for under
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such conditions he can hardly get the best possible instruc- tion. Superintendent Cooley of Chicago, in a recent report, said that the overcrowding of the class-rooms is "wasteful of the lives and efforts of the children." "Under existing circumstances," he says, "it is impossible for the teacher to give special attention to the personal peculiarities of the pupils, and the deplorable insufficiency of personal attention which the pupils receive from their teachers, has forced a large number of children out of schools into workshops and factories." This is true in all towns where similar condi- tions exist. The percentage of boys and girls who fail to graduate from our ninth grade is too large. If the teachers could give such pupils more personal attention that per- centage could be lessened.
REMEDY
The number of pupils in the west part of the town has increased materially during the past two or three years, and the question of transportation has become a serious one. We are maintaining a school at High Street in which are grades one, two and three. This school is situated very near the extreme limit of the school population of the town and now accommodates only eighteen pupils.
It seems to me that there are three possible solutions to this problem. First, to enlarge the Hatherly building by putting another room over the present first grade room. That would make it possible to relieve the crowded condi- tions in the Hatherly School, but would not relieve the barges. Second, to put the above-mentioned addition on Hatherly building and close the High Street School and transport all pupils. That would mean an extra barge, but the pupils could be so divided as to relieve the present over- crowded condition both in the barges and the Hatherly School. The objection to this plan is the undesirability of transport- ing young pupils.
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The third plan, and the one which seems to me by far the best of the three, is to move the High Street School towards North Scituate and re-locate it near the present location of Conohasset Hall, and add another room. It would then accommodate a much larger number of pupils and would obviate both the transportation question and that of the overflow at the Hatherly School. The objection to transport- ing young boys and girls would then be overcome, and I believe this plan would prove fully as economical and much more satisfactory to all concerned.
HIGH SCHOOL
At a special meeting last May the town appointed a com- mittee to investigate and report on conditions relative to the High School building. In consideration of the fact that that committee will make their report at this time I shall make no comments on the subject. Should, however, any one care to know my position in the matter, I would refer him to my report of last year, and would add that conditions have grown steadily worse, owing to the increased numbers at the High School.
During the three years that I have had supervision over the High School it has grown from sixty-two pupils until now there are eighty-eight. One teacher was added the first year of my official connection with the school, and at the same time a Commercial Department was added to the curriculum. The commercial teacher has been, and is now, obliged to teach other branches, thus putting much time and attention on subjects foreign to her department. This plan worked very well so long as the Commercial Department was in its infancy, so to speak, but now it has grown to such proportions that it needs the entire time of one teacher.
The classical subjects, even with the present arrangement, are suffering because of lack of time. Should this extra
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work, now done by the commercial teacher, be dispensed with, it would be absolutely necessary to give up some of the branches now taught. The school has grown beyond a three- teacher system. It must have at least four, if it is to con- tinue to do good work.
I hear the argument that we had a good school with only two teachers, and why can't we now? That argument is too absurd to receive consideration even for a moment. It would be just as good logic to say that Scituate once got on without a railroad, and why can't she now? The conditions of society change so rapidly that the luxuries of today fre- quently become the necessities of tomorrow. We must not judge the needs of today by those of the past, but rather by the demands of the present and even of the future so far as we are able to anticipate them.
I believe that the cost of the extra teacher can be saved out of the present cost of transportation without impairing our school system. At present we are paying $16.00 per week extra for High School transportation : $4.00 to transport from the Hatherly School to the High School and $12.00 to transport from the Harbor to the High School. I would suggest that those barges run only ten weeks, beginning at the opening of the winter term, and that during the rest of the year the pupils living in the north and west parts of the town be transported as far as the Hatherly School and those living at the south and east parts of the town be transported to the Jenkins School. High School boys and girls are, it seems to me, perfectly able to walk from either the Hatherly or Jenkins School to the High. The money saved in this way would practically provide for another teacher. Our High School boys and girls need better educational facilities more than they need free rides.
The question arises as to the possibility of reducing the number in the High School if we compel them to walk even the distance I have mentioned. I know of one case when it
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would seem to me to be a hardship, but aside from that case I feel that boys and girls who have arrived at High School age and won't walk a mile or even a mile and a half to get an education are better out of school than in it, for as stu- dents they can neither be a credit to themselves, their parents, nor the school. The sooner such are put to work at some legitimate occupation the better, for they are obviously wast- ing their time in the public High School. The fundamental element necessary for a boy or girl to get a higher education is a desire for knowledge, and the boy or girl who refuses to make any physical exertion or sacrifice certainly hasn't any very deeply rooted desire for special training.
· A glance at the record of last year's class at the High School will convince any one of the imperative need of placing our school on a par with other similar schools. Out of a class of thirteen, six have gone on to higher institutions, one to a technical school, two to college, two to normal schools and one to a business college. We can no longer claim that our pupils finish their education at the High School; and it be- comes the duty of the town to furnish the best possible instruction to those who care to go on. We are especially weak in our science course, inasmuch as we have no labora- tory and haven't proper apparatus to do the experimental work that should be done. When we consider that science forms a very large part of the basis for higher education, and that the demands of all higher institutions along this line are increasing, we can realize under what a serious handicap our High School is laboring.
PROBLEMS
The problem of education is an ever-present one, and we have by no means arrived at a satisfactory solution. That many things have and are still being done under the name of education, which future experience will prove to be unwise,
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there is little doubt. That, however, does not prove that those same unwise methods were not born of good and wise motives. In the ever-changing conditions of man the right of yesterday frequently becomes the wrong of today. ' Especially is this true of American society. Dr. C. Hanford Henderson says: "Modern life is quite unlike anything that has ever gone before it. The modern man is a totally new product; and not only is he new, but he is unstable. He is still in the making. No sooner have we analyzed him and catalogued his qualities, than he changes into some- thing else and our analysis is quite without value. One need not marvel then that education, which seeks to offer a pro- cess by which social ideals are to be realized, should con- stantly lag behind, should constantly wear that belated look which makes our so-called practical friends so impatient of it and its votaries."
The attempt to discredit the present school system and to prove that schools are not as good as they were forty years ago has proven merely that the modern schools are still in the process of evolution; that we have not, nor cannot arrive at the ultimate solution of the problem until modern society ceases to change with that rapidity that has charac- terized it in the past.
THE TEST
Comparative examinations prove conclusively that the schools of today are superior to those of half a century ago. The partisans of the "old schools" are begging the ques- tion; the real issue is, I believe, are we meeting the needs of today? The demands placed upon the youths of today are far greater than those of fifty years ago, and the public school must meet those increased demands or accept the verdict of inefficiency. The ideals of American education
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have changed since the days of our forefathers; today the predominating idea is utilitarianism. The public places more stress on the practical value of a subject than upon its cul- tural value. The parent asks, "Will this or that subject be of practical value to my boy?" This is not the "fad" of . a day, but is the natural outgrowth of modern society and must be treated as such. It is an undeniable fact that the present methods are inadequate to meet the needs of today.
The result of this condition is the plea for industrial edu- cation throughout the whole country. Our boys and girls leave schools and go out into the world, and with the excep- tion of an occasional graduate from the commercial course at the High School there is no occupation for which they are trained. Rural communities are fitting their pupils for clerks and bookkeepers, and in order to get employment they must leave the country town and go to the city. Is it any wonder that the youths of the rural town emigrate to the city? They are obliged to. As Superintendent Record of Abington says: "They are unskilled with respect to all industries, hence are of but little value either to themselves, to their employers or to the community."
I feel that Scituate should not wait longer before estab- lishing a course in manual training. It should be added for its educational value, and especially because it fills. an im- perative need of the times. With an enlarged teaching force at the High School it will be possible, in due course of time, to introduce other branches of industrial education without great additional expense. I make this recommenda- tion, not with the idea that it will remove all present defects, but with confidence that it will be a decided step in the right direction.
I shall give in an appendix to this report some statistics to which I would call your attention, as some of them show very clearly the growth of our schools, especially the High School. I would also call your attention to the report of
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the principal of the High School and those of the special teachers.
In conclusion, allow me to express my appreciation of the cordial support I have received from all with whom I have been associated in my work.
Respectfully submitted,
JOHN E. DEMEYER.
HIGH SCHOOL REPORT
To the Superintendent of Schools:
In accordance with custom, I beg leave to submit a report. as to the condition and needs of the High School. Our school opened on September 9 with an enrollment of 83 pupils, which increased to 88 in November. At the present time there are 87 pupils in the school, 35 boys and 54 girls. There has been an increase of 16 pupils over the last year's enrollment, or a gain of 22.2 per cent. The seating of this number has been a problem. A temporary solution was found by ordering twenty-one new desks. Eleven of these were placed in Miss- Adams's room and occupied by the Senior Class. The rest of the school, 77 in number, have been seated in the main room, which should not under normal conditions hold more than 60.
During the Fall Term the Commercial Department was in charge of Miss Lillian G. Wilkins of Arlington, Mass., a graduate of Vassar College and a post-graduate student at Simmons College. Miss Wilkins resigned at the end of the term and was succeeded by Miss Florence M. Andrews of Lynn, Mass., a graduate of Mount Holyoke College, who has taught in Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts.
Last year the Scituate High School was granted the privi- lege of sending pupils to Worcester Polytechnic Institute on the certificate of the principal. The class of 1908 sent one member to that institution and five others to other colleges- and higher schools. The list is as follows:
Mr. Paul F. Otis, Williams College, Williamstown, Mass .; Mr. Frank W. Clapp, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, Mass .; Miss Katherine Hill, Burdett's Business- College, Boston, Mass .; Miss Harriet E. Gannett, Boston
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University, Boston, Mass .; Miss Elizabeth H. Litchfield, Bridgewater Normal School, Bridgewater, Mass., and Miss Agnes E. Flanders, Hyannis Normal School, Hyannis, Mass. The showing of this class, together with the record of previous classes and the number of pupils in school now who hope to go to higher schools, justifies the expenditure of more money for teachers to bring this school fully up to the standard of Massachusetts high schools.
We are planning to have during the year a number of addresses at the High School by prominent citizens of Scituate and other places. This course was admirably begun with a lecture by Professor Henry T. Bailey on "Recent Discoveries in Ancient Greece." If possible we shall have one of these addresses each month, at which the parents and public will be cordially welcomed.
Having noticed some of the conditions of our work, I beg leave to call your attention to some of our most pressing needs.
The need of an addition to our building is now evident to all, and the committee appointed by the town to suggest a plan for such an addition has in hand an excellent one that will meet the conditions satisfactorily. Some of the most urgent needs that it will satisfy may be stated as follows: it will give us a good laboratory for chemical and physical science, and will thus put Scituate on a par with other towns which are ·able to fit students for college and for practical life in those subjects; it will provide good toilet facilities, and thus solve that much vexed question; it will give us a room to store our books and supplies in a systematic and careful way, instead of by the present chaotic method, a room that can also be used as a library where pupils may have access to the best books on any subject they may be studying; it will also give us a room that can be used as an assembly hall and gymnasium combined, and will make it unnecessary to ask for the use of the Town Hall in the future for that purpose.
Our next greatest need is in the size of our teaching force.
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We are trying to teach almost ninety pupils with the same force that many towns provide for forty or sixty students. In order to teach this number of pupils well we need at least one more teacher to take the English and History. It has been very difficult to obtain teachers who are willing to teach commercial work together with English and History, and this difficulty will increase rather than diminish.
We also need a much larger reference library. At present we have no encyclopedia that is up to date; the one in our school is thirty or forty years old, and therefore comparatively useless in the study of the sciences. Perhaps this lack of books of reference can be partially filled by private donations.
The course of study needs revision for the sake of economy, efficiency and justice to pupils taking the different courses. There should be a definite amount of work required of all pupils and a larger freedom of election and substitution. In our school, as in all others, there are some who are not adapted to many of the school subjects and who therefore take little interest in and expend little effort on them. In past experi- ence I have found that this class of pupils have been materially benefited by some sort of manual work. They usually take naturally to it, do it, and this success in one subject reacts upon the rest and produces a general toning up of all the school work. This is a matter worthy of careful consideration.
I wish to express my thanks to the committee and yourself for your help and support in our work.
Respectfully yours, FRANK ARTHUR SCOTT, Principal.
EGYPT, MASS., January 9, 1909.
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" En Avant"
COMMENCEMENT EXERCISES OF THE
CLASS OF 1908
SCITUATE HIGH SCHOOL
TOWN HALL
Wednesday Evening, June 24 At 8 o'clock
PROGRAM
INVOCATION . . Rev. F. B. Noyes CHORUS, He that Hath a Pleasant Face, Hatton. High School SALUTATORY WITH ORATION, Forestry, Frank Warren Clapp CLASS HISTORY Katherine Hill ORATION, Arlington Joseph Barnes
ORATION, Development of the Gasoline Engine, Dwight Lester Agnew
PRESENTATION OF CLASS GIFT, "The National Capitol,"
Lillian Frances Litchfield
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